Outlet grille



Dec. 14, 1948. e. R. GOLDTHWAITE OUTLET GRILLE Filed NOV. 26, 1946 INVENTOR. oge 7F s bamla r e.

Patented Dec. 14, 1948 OUTLET GRILLE George R. Goldthwaite, North Easton, Mass, as-

signor, by mesne assignments, to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, a corporation of Pennsyl- Vania Application November 26, 1946, Serial No. 712,356 I 2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to air outlet grilles such as are used in ventilating, air heating and air cooling systems and apparatus.

This invention provides an air outlet grille having individually adjustable vanes for deflecting the air discharged from the grille, in desired directions, the vanes being easily adjustable manually without the use of tools.

A feature of the invention is the provision of notched openings in the sides of the grilles, the ends of the vanes having U-shaped springs attached thereto which engage notches in the openings, the vanes being easily movable by hand so that the springs engage different notches.

An object of the invention is to reduce the manufacturing cost of air outlet grilles having individually adjustable vanes.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an air outlet grille, vanes which are easily adjustable by hand.

The invention will now be described with reference to the drawing, of which:

Fig. 1 is an end elevation of an air outlet grille embodying this invention;

Fig, 2 is a side elevation of the grille of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of one end of one of vanes of the grille;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view along the lines 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a sectional view along the lines 5-5 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged view of a portion of one of the sides of the grille including one of the'notched openings, and

Fig. '7 is a sectional view along the lines 1-! of Fig. 3.

The grille illustrated has the upper and lower plates ID of sheet metal with the circular openings I I therein which are adapted to receive machine screWs for attaching the grille in an air outlet.

The sheet metal sides I2 are attached to the plates I0, and define therewith an air outlet opening in which the vanes I4 are positioned. The sides I2 have the openings l 3 shaped substantially as right angle triangles therein in which the ends of the vanes I 4 are supported as will be described. The bases of the openings I3 extend parallel the plates [0 and have the notches I6 formed therein, the notches having curved sides and having the rounded portions I I therebetween.

Each end of each of the vanes I2 has the aligned tongues I8 punched therefrom, and has the tongue l9 punched therefrom and oil-set inwardly from the tongues It. The U-shaped springs 20 with their ends 2| facing outwardly are placed between the tongues I8 and I 9 and the vanes l4, and. the tongues are bent over against the springs for retaining them in position as illustrated by Figs. 3, 4, 5 and 7.

In assembling the grille, one of the sides I2 is removed as by removing the screws 22 (Fig. 2) which hold it in position, and the vanes are placed in the grille through the open side so that the springs 20 at their corresponding ends fit into the notched openings I3 in the other side I2 of the grille, the ends of the springs 20 being sprung inwardly as they enter the openings [3 so that one of the ends 2| of each spring 20 fits into the apex 23 of its associated triangular opening I3, and the other end 2i of the spring 20 fits into one of the notches I6 of the opening. The removed side I2 is then reassembled by springing the ends 2| of the springs 20 in the adjacent ends of the vanes in the openings l3 in the side so that the ends of the springs fit into the apices and notches of the openings [3 in the side following which the screws 22 are replaced and tightened.

After the grille has been assembled as described,

and attached to the air outlet of an air heater,

for example, each vane M can be adjusted to any of five different directional positions, in the embodiment illustrated, by grasping the outer edge of the vane and pressing it upwardly or downwardly. When this is done the ends 2| of the springs 20 spring inwardly under the applied pressure causing the spring end in one notch I6 to move into the next adjacent notch in the direction of the pressure.

The embodiment of the grille illustrated was designed for use with an air heater to be placed overhead the space to be supplied with heated air, the heater including a fan for blowing the heated air into the space to be heated. The vanes I4 accordingly are curved downwardly, and the openings I3 and the notches I6 therein are arranged so that in the uppermost position of the vanes, the heated air is discharged substantially horizontaly from the grille; in the lowermost position of the vanes, the air is discharged downwardly at a substantial angle from a horizontal line, and in the intermediate positions the angles of discharge from horizontal lines are reduced.

For other duties the curvature of the vanes, and the openings l3 and the notches I6 therein, could be arranged to provide other directions of discharge including upwardly directed air streams.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described for the purpose of illustration, it

should be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact apparatus and arrangement of apparatus illustrated, as modifications thereof may be suggested by those skilled in the art, without departure from the essence of the invention.

What iselaimedis: Y

1. A grille comprising a frame having an outlet opening therein and having side members on opposite sides of the opening, said side membershaving substantially triangular openings therein,

the openings having apices and bases opposite the apices, said bases having a plurality of motches therein, and vanes extending across :said ;outlet opening, said vanes having springs attached :to 15 GEORGE R. GOLDTHWAITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the V11 file of this patent:

: I UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Strawsine Aug. 10, 1943 

